Sunken sub brings Bill Smith's firsthand story to light

Cheney man was there when Coast Guard crew sank a recently rediscovered German U-boat in World War II

By BECKY THOMAS

Staff Reporter

Last month divers discovered the remains of a German U-boat off Nantucket Island, Mass. that was sunk by U.S. ships in April 1944.

Last week on the other side of the country, Bill Smith sat in his Cheney home recalling exactly how the submarine ended up at the bottom of the Atlantic. It took nearly 70 years to find the remains of the U-boat, but the battle that sunk it was over in a few hours.